Introduction 1

Acknowledgments 2

Park history 3

Ancient man in Palo Duro Canyon 3

Indians of the Plains 3

Advent of the White Man 3

Regional setting 8

The geologic story 10

The canyon’s rocks and minerals 10

Unraveling earth history 10

The geologic column and geologic time scale 12

Geologic formations exposed in Palo Duro Canyon 16

Quartermaster Formation 17

Tecovas Formation 19

Trujillo Formation 22

Ogallala Formation 23

Rocks of the Pleistocene 28

How the canyon was carved 29

The geologic work of running water 29

Weathering and gravity add the final touch 30

Weathering 30

Mass-wasting 31

Differential erosion 31

What to do and see at Palo Duro Canyon State Park 33

Park Entrance 33

Coronado Lodge and Observation Point 33

The Scenic Drive 33

Pioneer Amphitheatre 33

Sad Monkey Train Ride 35

Triassic Peak 35

Spanish Skirts 37

Catarina Cave 37

Santana’s Face 37

The Sky Ride 37

The First Water Crossing 39

Colonel Charles Goodnight’s Dugout 39

The Lighthouse 39

Capitol Peak 40

Fortress Cliff 40

The Rock Garden 40

The Devil’s Slide 40

The Turnaround 41

Hiking 43

Horseback riding 43

Camping and picnicking 43

Photography 43

Panhandle-Plains Historical Museum 45

Selected references 47

Glossary 48

Index 50

Illustrations

Figures— Page

1. Aerial View of Palo Duro Canyon Frontispiece

2. Place map of Palo Duro Canyon 4-5

3. Indian carving on sandstone boulder 6

4. War dress of Comanche Chief Quanah Parker 7

5. Generalized geologic map of the Texas Panhandle 9

6. Geologic time scale 11

7. Generalized geologic map of Palo Duro Canyon State Park 14-15

8. Joints and gypsum veins in Quartermaster Formation 17

9. Syncline in Quartermaster red beds 18

10. Reduction halos in Quartermaster shale 20

Fig. 1. Aerial view of Palo Duro Canyon showing location of major points of interest: (1) Coronado Lodge; (2) Triassic Peak; (3) Timber Mesa; (4) Capitol Peak; (5) Fortress Cliff; (6) Prairie Dog Town Fork of Red River; (7) The Turnaround (termination of Park Road 5). (Courtesy of Charles A. Wolfin; photograph by W. A. Hester.)